A poor choice

Italian magazine L'Espresso has named Pedro Sánchez as its Person of the Year. It's a surprising choice given that Sánchez is battling corruption allegations on almost every front - but L'Espresso has looked beyond all that: "We don't intend to celebrate the successful or iconic", it stated in its 11 December edition, apparently without irony, "but those who have managed to send a clear message, a signal. This year, the signal comes from Madrid and bears the name of Pedro Sánchez."

In choosing the Spanish prime minister for its annual honour, the left-leaning publication (which, along with the centre-right Panorama, is one of Italy's two most prominent weeklies) points to several factors: the "unmatched" success of the Spanish economy, Sánchez's refusal to submit to Donald Trump's NATO demands, his defence of civil rights, calls for greater EU integration and definition of Israel's attack on Gaza as "genocide". L'Espresso also refers to Sánchez's huge popularity amongst Italians: in a recent poll, he emerged as their second most-trusted European leader, with 44.9%. Only the Pope scored higher.

By celebrating Sánchez, L'Espresso has broadcast a clear signal of its own: that corruption doesn't matter if you get things done. No wonder it admires the Spanish premier, who has flouted the law (lockdown, alleged espionage on Catalan separatists), chosen as his most senior advisers people who are now in prison (Koldo Case), performed complete policy reversals when politically expedient (Catalan independence, Western Sahara) and remains in power, despite losing the last election, only because of a deal that outraged many of his own supporters (Catalan amnesties). Some Spanish media outlets have even raised the possibility that L'Espresso's feature on Sánchez was financed by the Spanish government: "How much did this joke cost us?" ran a bemused headline in OK Diario.

L'Espresso's founders, one of whom was the typewriter magnate Adriano Olivetti, would surely be dismayed by its choice of Sánchez. Established in 1955, the magazine quickly established a reputation for investigative journalism, uncovering several corruption scandals centred on Italy's post-war Christian Democrat government. Back then, a politician like Sánchez would have been investigated by L'Espresso, not celebrated.

The point isn't that L'Espresso is wrong in saying that Sánchez has done things that deserve praise - because he has (although they weren't all mentioned, and some of the reasons that it did give are questionable). Even if you agreed with everything its editors say about the Spanish premier, you could still object to their choice of him as Person of the Year.

Spanish politics is characterised by a culture of unaccountability and impunity. One of the most important functions of a free press is to challenge that at every opportunity - not contribute to it. By choosing Sánchez as its Person of the Year, L'Espresso has done precisely that.